Quantifying the impact: Movement biomarkers in perturbation-based balance training for fall prevention

11:00 - 11:45
Speakers
Affiliations

Deepak Ravi

Research Group Leader, Laboratory for Movement Biomechanics, ETH Zurich, Switzerland

Zhu Tanglong

PhD Student, Gerontechnology Laboratory, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong

Session Date

Jul 6, 2024

Abstract

Perturbation-based balance training (PBT), an emerging task-specific fall prevention intervention, has gained significant interest due to its promising effects in reducing falls by as much as 50% in as few as 1-4 sessions. The early evidence supporting the efficacy of PBT is compelling, but successful implementation and integration into healthcare practice require identifying and addressing several challenges including acceptability, adherence, and cost-effectiveness. Currently, real-world falls are used as outcome measures in studies addressing these gaps. However, monitoring falls (defined as ‘a person coming to rest inadvertently on the ground or floor’) is both time-consuming and expensive. Therefore, we need to develop and establish biomechanical measures that can serve as effective biomarkers for fall risks. In this talk, we will examine one such commonly used measure known as the margin of stability and later introduce a novel resilience measure. We will delve into the advantages and disadvantages of these metrics, drawing from our firsthand experience applying them in a pilot randomized PBT study conducted at ETH Zurich. Additionally, we will discuss the possibility of using wearable sensing systems, such as IMUs, to provide an ecological means to quantify fall risk biomarkers outside traditional laboratory settings.